Coming Along For The Ride
by beckyytodd
Summary: Fria Azdar is a young dwarf woman who wants to go on the quest to Erebor. All the other dwarves like her but Thorin thinks that she will just cause trouble. Can she change his opinion of her and gain respect and friendship? Is it just friendship that she wants? Rated T for violence and language. Eventual Thorin/OC.
1. Coming Along For The Ride

**Chapter 1: Going Along For The Ride**

Bilbo gazed around his dining room in shock. Dwarves were everywhere and none of them he knew. Stood in front of him were 6 and he didn't know what was going on. At the moment, they appeared to be raiding his pantry. Two, Fili and Kili he believed, were moving furniture so that there would be space for "the others". Bilbo nearly passed out when he heard news of others but before he could there came another knock on the door. Sighing, Bilbo angrily marched to the door expecting to find a long bearded, stout dwarf at-your-servicing him.

Bilbo yanked open the door about to shout at the dwarf and tell him that there was no room in his hobbit-hole for anyone else to join. But the sight he saw dumbfounded him. Stood there, was not a male dwarf, stocky and short in stature with a hard face but a very pretty young female dwarf. She had long, dark brown hair that fell down her back, not matted like the other's hair but glossy and well-kept and no beard despite the rumours. Her eyes were a deep blue and they glimmered in the moonlight and contrasted against her white as snow face with pink cheeks that made her look youthful. Her mouth was set in a wide smile due to the hobbits reaction and it showed off her perfect white teeth.

"Mr Baggins?" she questioned.

"Y-yes," replied Bilbo, who was trying to compose himself as the beautiful dwarf stood in front of him was not what he had expected at all.

She giggled at him and, remembering her manners, said, "Fria Azdar, at your service."

.o0o.

Fria passed Bilbo and handed him her cloak. Fili walked into the hallway and saw the new addition to the company.

"Miss Fria Azdar," he said, smiling at her. She smiled back, glad to see a familiar face.

From the dining room, she heard her name being said in a questioning tone and Kili practically raced into the hallway to see if she was really there or not. When, Kili saw her, he grinned ecstatically and ran to her before grabbing her in a bear hug and, lifting her up, spinning her round and round. Kili's reaction was due to the close friendship that had always been obvious ever since the two were little children. Fria was older by a few years and had always been extremely protective of him, even though she was often the one getting him into trouble but if she ever got him in too deep, she would be there to save him. When she had left the Blue Mountains a few years beforehand to travel, Kili actually cried as he didn't know what he would do without her. So, of course, now, after years of not seeing his best friend, he was overjoyed to know she would be joining the company and causing trouble with him as before.

"I had no idea you were coming with us!" Kili said, still grinning.

"Yeah, I thought I'd come along for the ride!" she replied, happy to see her friend. Her reaction had not been as strong as she had expected to see Kili, knowing he would follow his uncle to hell and back. They walked into the dining room where all the tables and chairs had been set up. Kili dragged her to sit in the far corner of the room and the two talked and talked until all the dwarves but the great Thorin Oakenshield had arrived. At this point, Fili was handing out drinks to all the company and when everyone had received one, he shouted, "Tank up!"

At this, the whole company began to down their drinks and a lot spilled out, missing their mouths and flowing down into their beards which was already full of food. The only one who seemed to have some manners was Fria, who was still downing her drink but was not spilling it everywhere and she had not got food all over but dwarves are dwarves and she still did not live up to anywhere near the hobbit's standards. The hobbit, who felt quite flustered, was staring round at the dwarves' disgusting habits and also at Gandalf, who had arrived along with some of the company, who was laughing at the dwarven antics and not at all put off by their lack of etiquette.

Bilbo walked into the hallway and was followed by Gandalf, who wished to convince Bilbo that joining the dwarves was a good idea. Their conversation was interrupted by Ori who very politely asked Bilbo where he could put his plate.

"Give it here, Ori," said Fili. He then tossed the plate to his brother in the kitchen causing Bilbo to have a worried look on his face. The dwarves then began to beat a rhythmic pattern with the knives and by banging their feet on the ground.

"Could you please not do that, you'll blunt the knives!" said Bilbo looking flustered.

"Hear that lads! He said we'll blunt the knives!" said Bofur sarcastically, causing a few laughs from the others.

And all of a sudden the dwarves burst into song.

_Blunt the knives and bend the forks!_  
_Smash the bottles and burn the corks!_  
_Chip the glasses and crack the plates!_  
_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates -_

_Cut the cloth and tread the fat!_  
_Leave the bones on the bedroom mat!_  
_Pour the milk on the pantry floor!_  
_Splash the wine on every door!_

_Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl;_  
_Pound them up with a thumping pole;_  
_And when you've finished, if any are whole,_  
_Send them down the hall to roll!_

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

At the end of the song, Bilbo expected the crockery to have been destroyed but they had all been piled up nicely by the dwarves and Bilbo gave a sigh of relief.

"Right, I think we should have a drinking game! One on one!" shouted Kili, causing a lot of applause and cheering. " Any volunteers?"

"I'll go against you!" shouted Fria and the dwarves who didn't know her started to snigger. But Balin and Fili, who were the only ones besides Kili who had seen her drink, started full on laughing as they knew this girl was a strong drinker and would not go down without a fight.

"Right, five tankards, first one to finish all of them wins five gold coins!" said Kili.

"Deal!"

The two shook hands and five tankards were put in front of each of them.

"Go!" shouted Balin and the two began instantly. The other dwarves were cheering for Kili but Fria didn't care. She would prove to them she was the strongest drinker of them all.

And she did. She had finished all five of hers by the time Kili was half way through his third.

The other dwarves looked at her in astonishment. Never had they seen a woman handle her drink so well and a new respect was developed for her. Sure, they had never seen her fight but if she could drink that fast and not even appear affected, they knew she was just as strong as any of them.

Fria was pleased with the everyone's reaction and she began to laugh loudly and the others joined in.

"Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I can't kick your ars-"

Fria was stopped mid-sentence and interrupted by a loud knock on the door. Everyone turned to face in the direction of the noise.

"He is here!" said Gandalf.

Not a moment later, all the dwarves were in the hallway and watching as Bilbo pulled open the door. Thorin stood and glanced at the hobbit.

"Mr Baggins?" he questioned. Bilbo nodded, quite shocked by the dwarf prince. He was strong in stature and tall for a dwarf but it was not that. He had a presence that seemed to bond the dwarves. A few moments ago they had all been shouting and cheering and now, they stood attentive and silent as the prince strode in, looking around at his companions. His gaze lingered on Fria and she knew she wasn't wanted.

"I apologise for being late. I lost my way-twice. I would not have found it at all if it were not for the mark on the door."

"I assure you that there is no mark on my door! It was painted just last week!" said Bilbo, gaining himself a glare from Thorin.

"So this is the hobbit," said Thorin and everyone paused for his reaction. "Looks more like a grocer than a burglar."

The room filled with laughter and Bilbo looked quite offended. Fria noticed this and instantly stopped laughing, not wanting to hurt the hobbit's feelings.

The tension seemed to have been lifted. That was until Thorin turned around and glared at Fria. The laughing stopped and Kili, who was stood next to her, put an arm protectively around her.

"What are you doing here?" spat Thorin, showing his discontent.

"I want to help you with your quest..." replied Fria, her confidence shaken.

"We don't need a woman!"

Fria saw red. Men were constantly talking down to her but never had she expected it from a dwarf, especially such a noble and fair prince such as Thorin. She wanted to punch him in the face but instead she quench her anger slightly, clenched her fist and responded harshly.

"Don't you dare judge me because of my gender! Just because I am a woman, it does not make me a hindrance! I am more than capable of sustaining myself and have done so for the past two years! I can fight well with a sword and am a good shot with a bow and arrow not to mention my skills in healing! So don't ever judge me based on stupid stereotypes again!"

Thorin shot Fria a look that made her want the ground to open up beneath her feet but he didn't say anything. He just walked into the dining room to start the business of the quest. Kili patted Fria on the shoulder reassuringly and pulled her into the dining room and sat as far away from Thorin as possible.


	2. The Quest

**Chapter 2: The Quest**

"There's another way in," said Kili with a smirk.

The dwarves, Gandalf and Bilbo had been discussing the quest to take back Erebor all night. So far the main quest points had been established and now Gandalf had revealed to the company that he was in possession of a map and key that lead to a secret entrance built into the side of the mountain.

"Well if you want to steal from a dragon, you'll need a damn good burglar. An expert I would say," said Bilbo, who was pouring over the map, obviously fascinated.

"And are you?" asked Bofur.

Bilbo hesitated for a moment, waiting for someone else to reply as he had not realised that Bofur's question was directed at him. He fiddled with his breeches and then looked up at the dwarf who had an expectant look on his face.

"Am I what?"

"An expert..."

"What? Me? No no no... I've never stolen anything in my life."

Gandalf sighed at the hobbit's lack of adventure and then stopped the dwarf's chatting which mainly consisted of abuse aimed at Bilbo. Gandalf looked at Thorin, who sighed and said to Balin, " Give him the contract."

At this, Balin reached into his coat and pulled out a piece of parchment that, when Bilbo held it, nearly reached the floor.

"Up to and not exceeding one fourteenth of the total profit. That seems... fair. Urm.. Laceration? Evisceration? Incineration!" said Bilbo, reading aloud.

"Oh yeah, he'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye," said Bofur, mistaking Bilbo's nervousness for a question.

Bilbo stared at him in disbelief and started to breathe heavily.

"Bilbo... Are you okay?" asked Fria, who was beginning to move towards him to try to calm him down but since there was no way around the table, she was climbing on it. Thorin looked at her disgustedly when she reached his end of the table but she avoided his gaze, knowing that the prince was too stubborn and proud to change his opinion of her.

"I feel... I feel a bit faint," said Bilbo.

Fria rubbed his back comfortingly hoping to prevent him from passing out. She didn't even consider the hobbit when she turned up at Bag End but now she saw that Bilbo was not exactly the adventurous type and having 13 dwarves and a wizard turn up at your doorstep, expecting you to join a quest in which you have to sneak past a dragon was not what Bilbo had wanted to get from his Wednesday supper. She began to feel truly sorry for him.

"Think furnace with wings!" joined Bofur again and Fria shot him a warning glance but he didn't seem to notice that his words were not helping the hobbit but making him even more anxious.

"I think I need air," said Bilbo, his breath becoming heavier and heavier.

"Flash of light! Searing pain! Then poof! You are nothing more than a pile of ash!"

Fria was about ready to kill Bofur but Bilbo straightened up and his breathing went back to normal. The dwarves looked relieved and waited for Bilbo to say something. He paused for a moment. He managed to say "nope" before he passed out.

.o0o.

Fria sat on the floor next to Bilbo holding a wet cloth to his forehead. After the hobbit had fainted, the dwarves had carried him into his study and placed him in his chair opposite Gandalf.

"Well, Miss Fria. I do not know you but you seem to be compassionate and obviously have a knack for healing. I'm glad that you are joining the company," Gandalf spoke up, ended the silence that seemed to have enveloped the house.

"Thank you sir but I don't believe I will be joining you."

She sighed and looked at the hobbit. Thorin's prejudice meant that the hobbit, feeble and small, would be joining the company, but her, strong in body and mind, was not allowed on the journey.

"Do call me Gandalf and why ever not? You seem to be a vital part of the company, why would you not come with us"

"I would come with you... If I was allowed. Thorin will not have a woman joining the quest."

Gandalf appeared to ponder her words and, after a moment, rose from his seat.

"Well then, we will have to convince him otherwise..."

She smiled at his attempt to comfort her and she followed him into the hallway, anticipating Thorin's words already and the rejection she would face yet again.

.o0o.

"Thorin!"

Gandalf's loud interruption startled Thorin, who had been in deep conversation with Balin. Fria saw him jump slightly and she smirked. He saw this and gave her the same look he had when he first laid eyes on her in the hallway earlier in the evening and the smirk was instantly wiped away. Thorin turned to Gandalf to see what had angered the wizard.

"Why is this young woman not allowed to join the company?!"

Thorin hesitated and stared at Fria, disdain clear in his face.

"She is unworthy. I've known her for a long while and she causes trouble wherever she goes and often gets the others around her into it. When she was younger, she was always causing havoc and my nephew followed her like a lost puppy. I do not lie when I say the people of the Blue Mountains were happy to see the back of her."

"But I have changed! I can handle myself better now and know that I cannot cause trouble and get away with it. If I did, I would have been killed by orcs a long time ago," Fria pleaded, hoping that Thorin would sympathise if orcs were mentioned.

He hesitated for a moment and she thought she had won but the hesitation allowed him to find more excuses.

"She is a woman an-"  
"My gender does not affect my abilities!"

"I never said it did!" shouted Thorin, frustrated because Fria had interrupted him.

Fria stopped in her tracks. What did he mean by that? What else could being a woman effect? She waited for him to continue.

"She is a woman and therefore she will be a distraction to my men. As much as I dislike her, she is very beautiful and I know that men follow her wherever she goes. I cannot have my men following her around and becoming distracted."

He stared at Fria and waited for a response. She was gob-smacked. Never had his suggestion ever occurred to her as a reason for not allowing her to go. She wanted to respond but she couldn't deny that men followed her or that it didn't cause trouble. She thought back on all the times in taverns or in town at night when men had seen her as an innocent woman that they could take advantage of. If it weren't for her fighting skills they would have taken advantage. But had Thorin really called her beautiful? She stared at the dwarf-prince and saw that he was very handsome and she remembered how in Ered Luin, how he could have had any woman he chose but he denied himself any until he regained Erebor. She respected him for that.

Tears began to swell in her eyes at the thought that her kin would go to regain the mountain and she would be unable to help them. What if something happened to them? She didn't think she could live with herself if Kili died whilst fighting. She could hold back her tears no longer. They streamed down her face and she could just make out the shock on Gandalf's and Thorin's face. She looked at the floor in embarrassment, furiously wiping away the tears. Thorin would never let her go with them now.

"Fria, why do you cry?" asked Gandalf, his voice full of worry as he rubbed her back, trying to soothe her.

When she had calmed herself down she explained to the both of them how she could not bear for her kin to die whilst she just waited for some news of their return. When the tears stopped flowing, she looked up at Thorin who appeared to be sizing her up. After a long while, he sighed.

"You will come with us to The Lonely Mountain," he stated.

She stared at him, wondering what had caused him to change his mind. She didn't understand. Surely her crying made him even less eager for her to come. She opened her mouth to question him but he stopped her.

"Don't ask me anything or I may have to change my mind. I expect to see you at dawn, Miss Azdar."

And with that, he walked away. She looked up at Gandalf and he down at her and they both began to grin profoundly. She was going on the quest!

She ran into the living room and found Kili. She hugged him tightly and told him all that had happened and how she was going with them. When she finished, he was grinning just as much as she was. They continued to sit together and talk excitedly as they had earlier on and stayed that way until Bilbo stirred. She went to attend to the hobbit and couldn't get over the events of the evening.


	3. Plaguing Her Thoughts

_**Thank you for all the reviews and favourites, I'm trying to update as fast as I can. Hope you enjoy!**_

**Chapter 3: Plaguing Her Thoughts**

Fria was riding alongside Balin and the two were enveloped in a lengthy conversation. They had talked about family and friendships and how their home in the Blue Mountains was.

"We are managing. Work is poor but we do the best that we can... And with Thorin to lead us, no-one is ever without money or food." said Balin.

"I'm glad to hear it. I have yet to visit since I left. So Thorin... Is he still the same as ever?" Fria questioned.

Her mind had barely left Thorin since yesterday night. He was plaguing her thoughts and she didn't understand why.

"Oh yes, he is still very much the same. He has become more aware of his nephews since you left though and I think he is preparing Fili for being a king. I think he worries about Kili with you not around."

"Really?" The surprise was evident in Fria's voice. "Why should my departure affect Kili?"

"You must know, Miss Azdar, that Thorin thought a lot of your friendship with Kili. You taught the boy how to use a bow and arrow and how to get out of trouble. He may say that your friendship caused Kili to become reckless but, truly, he thinks the opposite. If it wasn't for you, Kili wouldn't take his lineage or his weapon training seriously. Thorin has always respected you for that."

Fria didn't quite believe the old dwarf. Why would Thorin lie if he truly did respect her? What other reasons did he have for not wanting her on the quest? She thought back to him calling her a distraction because she was "beautiful". Did he mean that she was a distraction to him? That he was harbouring some secret lust for her? She quickly brushed the thoughts out of her mind. She was about to respond to Balin when from behind her, she heard a voice calling out for them to stop.

"Wait! Wait!" shouted Bilbo.

Fria smiled to see the hobbit, who was running along with the contract in his hand. He was joining the company.

"I signed it!" said Bilbo, who had run up to Balin's pony, handed him the contract and was now trying to regain his breath.

Balin looked over the contract before proclaiming, "Everything appears to be in order. Welcome Master Baggins to the Company of Thorin Oakenshield."

Thorin looked annoyed for a moment and after sighing he ordered for a pony to be given to Bilbo.

"No, no, no. That won't be necessary, thank you. I'll keep up on foot, I've done my fair share of walking holidays, went as far as Fromolden once-" Bofur and Gloin interrupted Bilbo's protesting by lifting him up on to a pony. Fria began to laugh at his discomfort and trotted over to him to try to teach him how to ride.

"Bilbo, are you okay?" she asked.

"Oh, I'll be okay if I managed to work out how riding works."

Fria couldn't help herself. She burst out laughing. Bilbo looked annoyed at her and so she quickly stopped.

"Do you want some help?" she asked politely.

"If you're offering, yes please Miss Azdar."

"Right, straighten up."

Bilbo followed her instructions hoping that he would somehow manage to learn.

"Hold on to your reins loosely otherwise your arms will get tired."

His arms dropped significantly copying Fria's position.

"Right, you should be fine from now on as long as your pony doesn't bolt."

Bilbo's face filled with worry at the thought of his horse running into the distance with no way of stopping it. Fria burst out laughing when she realised the hobbit had taken her seriously. She was gasping for air.

"Fria!"

The shout silenced her. She looked ahead to see Thorin staring daggers at her.

"Come here!"

She gulped and trotted forward. She had no idea that Thorin was strict enough to not allow laughing. She pulled her pony alongside his.

"What was all that about?" he snapped at her.

"I was teaching Bilbo how to ride."

"And why does that require such hysterical laughing?"

"I jokingly said to Bilbo that his pony would bolt and his face filled with worry. It was hilarious."

The brothers, Fili and Kili, who were riding just behind Thorin, began to laugh as they got the image in their head. Thorin was not amused and his nephews were quickly silenced.

"To prevent you causing any more trouble, you will ride upfront with me."

She began to protest but told herself that if she did it would just cause more problems. She slowed her horse to be in line with Kili.

"No!"

Thorin's shout stopped her and she rode back up next to him and prepared herself for a day of misery. Whenever she tried to join the brothers' conversation or they tried to include her, Thorin glared at them all. The day slowly passed and Thorin didn't speak to anyone at all. Fria attempted conversation with him but every time he would either respond with one word answers or just ignore her completely. As depressing as it was, she was enjoying herself. She enjoyed riding next to Thorin but she had no idea why. He didn't make good company. He wasn't friendly and he had even said that he disliked her. She kept replaying that conversation in her head. One line in particular. Every time she heard the words echoing through her head it made her happy.

"She is very beautiful."

Thorin noticed her smiling to herself and questioned her. She looked up at him, her cheeks turning pink with embarrassment.

"Oh I was... er... I was thinking about how happy I am to be... um … on the journey."

He nodded in a questioning way, obviously pushing her for more information.

"Well, um... I was thinking about last night and how you... er... you changed your mind?"

This was good. She had wondered why he _had_ changed his mind and the question avoided her true thoughts.

He sighed thinking how to word what he wanted to say. "Well, when I saw your passion for the company, your kin and how much you cared, I realised that you weren't just coming along for the fun of it. You want to be here because you care for the people around you."

She nodded and contemplated what he had said. So her crying, something she thought would make her appear weak to Thorin, was actually a sign of strength. She smiled kindly at him and to her surprise he returned it.

"You should smile more. It looks good on you." she said laughing.

This actually received a laugh from Thorin. The conversation ended there but Fria was, yet again, playing through it in her head. Anything that involved Thorin, she seemed to cling to. The group came across a small outcropping and, as the sun was setting, they decided to camp there for the night. Gloin and Oin were told to start a fire and everyone began to settle down for the night. Fria sat with Kili and Fili and the three were put on the first watch of the night. They were taking quietly at first and then there came shouts and screeches. Fria was resting her head on Kili's shoulder and she shuddered at the sound. He pulled her into a hug to comfort her, knowing she hated orcs with a passion. Suddenly the hobbit piped up.

"What was that?!"

Kili looked around, surveying the area before responding,

"Orcs."

More shrieks were heard and Bilbo began to get nervous.

"Orcs!?" he asked, hoping that Kili had been joking.

"Throat-cutters. There will be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with them." Fili added.

"They strike in the wee small hours when everyone is asleep, quick and quiet, no screams, just lots of blood." continued Kili.

Bilbo's face filled with anxiety. It was quite a sight and the three began to snigger.

"You think that's funny?"

Thorin's voice was intense and the trio instantly stopped.

"You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?"

Fria felt Kili's head face the ground, not wanting to see his Uncle's face. She looked up and saw that Thorin had gone rigid at the mention of orcs and that he was looking very suspiciously at her and Kili.

Kili managed to get out, "We didn't mean anything by it."

"No, you didn't. You know nothing of the world."

Fria felt the anger building inside of her. How could he speak to Kili and Fili like that? He knew better than anyone that the two were more than capable of surviving by themselves. For Eru's sake, she had taught Kili everything he knew about surviving in the wild and how to avoid orcs. The fact that Thorin spoke to them as though they were little children frustrated her intensely.

"Don't worry lass," said Balin, seeing Fria's annoyance. "Thorin has more reason than most to hate orcs."

There was a moment's pause before he continued.

"After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had gotten there first. Moria had been taken by vicious orcs, led by the most vile of all their race, Azog the Defiler. The giant orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began by beheading the king. Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing. Taken prisoner or killed, we do not know. We were leaderless. We thought death was upon us. That is when I saw him." Balin paused, a smile presenting itself on his lips.

"A young dwarf prince, facing down the pale orc. He stood alone against this terrible foe. His armour was wiped off, wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield. Azog the Defiler learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken. The forces rallied. They drove the orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated. But there was no feast nor song that night for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived. And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is one I could call king."

By this point, the entire company had awoken and they were staring at Thorin with the utmost respect.

Bilbo interrupted the silence by asking, "And what of the pale orc? What happened to him?"

"He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago."

Thorin voice echoed in the night. More cries were heard. Fria shuddered again and Kili pulled her closer into his chest. She was thankful to have him as a friend. As Thorin walked back past the three of them, he shot daggers at them. They seemed specifically aimed at Kili and Fria. She was fuming... again. She watched him walk away into the forest. After awhile, she decided to follow him and tell him exactly what she thought about the fact that he wasn't appreciating his nephews. When she found him, he was stood on the edge of a cliff looking up at the sky. He looked deep in thought and she didn't want to disturb him. She decided to tell him off tomorrow instead but as she began to walk away, a twig snapped beneath her feet and Thorin spun around, unsheathing his sword. He took a defensive stance and she froze solid, scared to death, wondering how any creature would dare to attack him. He looked so strong and impressive, her mind started to wander and she was thankful that he had realised it was her.

"What are you doing here?" he questioned, sheathing his sword and sighing; he appeared to not want company.

"I want you to stop giving Fili and Kili such a hard time. You don't appre-" She was interrupted by Thorin scoffing.

"Do not tell me what I should and shouldn't do. You would not be saying this if you weren't...involved with Kili."

Fria was stunned. Thorin thought she was in a relationship with Kili! Her and Kili were often asked if they were together but that was always from people who didn't know them well! To have the suggestion come from Thorin was absurd!

"Me an- and Kili! You're kidding!" she stammered.

"Yes. You quite blatantly are together. What about a few minutes ago when you were laying with each other. You're in love with each other and you show it off to everyone..."he spat the last few words.

"First of all, I am NOT in love with Kili. Second, even if I was in love with him, why would it bother you?"

"You're a bad influence-"

"I know you don't think that. Balin told me..."

"Balin lies-"

"BALIN NEVER LIES! THAT'S WHY EVERYONE ASKS HIM FOR ADVICE!"

Thorin paused before hurtfully adding, " You should never have come. You _are_ a distraction."

He began walking away from the conversation but before he was out of sight, Fria questioned him.

"A distraction to who?"

Thorin stopped in his tracks and Fria expected to face his fury but he just sighed and continued to walk away, leaving her to think over everything that had been said.


	4. Ever Heard Of Thank You?

**_Sorry for not updating quickly but I had a lot to drink on New Year's Eve so I couldn't possibly write and yesterday I had a huge hangover and really didn't feel like writing then either so, my apologisies for taking so long to update. I hope you like it and please favourite, follow and review :) (Happy New Year btw)_****  
**

**Chapter 4: Ever Heard Of Thank You?**

The next day, Fria woke early and got her pack ready. She sat thinking for a while thinking about Thorin as usual. Her mind was still insisting that every free thought of hers should be based around him. She was sat relatively close to him and she watched him sleep. His chest seemed to rise and sink heavily with each breath and even in such a vulnerable state, he seemed so strong and confident that if anyone dared attack him he would overpower them in seconds. She realised that she had been sat there for quite some time when everyone else began to wake. She woke Kili, Fili, Bilbo and, against her best judgement, Thorin. When he opened his eyes, he stared directly into Fria's and she realised how beautiful they were. She shook her head and began to move over to her pack. She heard the others groaning groggily and watched as Bofur and Bombur struggle to get breakfast ready. "Men..." she thought, knowing full well that, despite trying to avoid stereotypes, she would have to take over. She walked over and helped the two of them prepare the food.

What she didn't notice was that Thorin was watching her constantly, smirking as she got annoyed at the other two for not following her instructions. Balin noticed him and decided that it was a good time to approach him.

"Thorin?" he asked.

Thorin looked as though he had been pulled out of a trance. He was puffing on his pipe and seemed annoyed that Balin had interrupted his daydream. He looked up at the old dwarf and asked him what he wanted. His gaze quickly fell back on Fria.

"You like her, don't you?"

Thorin hesitated, deciding how to respond.

"I think that she is a good addition to the company. She is very useful and is not causing as much trouble as I thought she would."

Balin sighed and continued.

"You know that's not what I meant."

Thorin looked at Balin questioningly before a look of disgust washed over his face.

"No... Do not think that I would like someone such as her. Although I have gained a level of respect for her, I would never see her in such a way."

"And why not? She is beautiful, intelligent, skilled, kind-"

"She is stubborn, loud and she does not know her place."

And with that, Thorin stood up, walked over to the fire where breakfast had been prepared, grabbed a plate and ate his food in silence away from the rest of the group. But his eyes stayed on Fria.

.o0o.

That evening, when the sun was just beginning to set, the company found shelter in an old ruined farmhouse. Thorin and Gandalf walked away from the group to have what appeared to be a heated conversation. It resulted in Gandalf storming off to seek the company of the only one around here that was "sane".

"And who would that be?" asked Bilbo politely.

"Myself, Mr Baggins," said Gandalf in a huff before riding off.

"Lover's spat," whispered Kili in Fria's ear causing her to burst out laughing. Of course, this received the usual glare from Thorin.

"Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Oin, Gloin, get a fire going. Bofur, Bombur, prepare dinner."

Thorin shouted his orders and within a second, everyone was on task. Fria began to walk off with the brothers to look after the ponies but was stopped by Bofur, who asked her for some help with the stew that they were going to make. Not wanting to disappoint him and also not wanting to obtain food poisoning, she agreed to help them. She directed them well and soon the three of them were making a superb stew. Fria realised that whether it was her duty or not, she would be helping out with the majority of the cooking while they travelled. Half an hour later, when it was made, she handed two bowls to Bilbo and asked him to take them to Fili and Kili. He ran off without a second glance, careful not to spill any.

Fria moved on to handing bowls out to everyone and soon Bofur was shoving a bowl in her hand and telling her to take it to Thorin. She took a deep breath and walked slightly up the hill to where Thorin had been since Gandalf left. No one had dared to approach him since and she feared that the slightest thing would anger him. As she got nearer, she saw that he was deep in thought as he often seemed to be. He noticed her approaching and sat up straight; watching her as she approached. When she got to him, she handed him the bowl and then stood over him with her arms crossed. He focused his vision on the stew and began to eat. She remained watching him so he looked up and asked her what she wanted.

"Ever heard of thank you?" she replied, obviously agitated by his lack of manners.

He paused and sighed, annoyed that he would have to express any amount of gratitude towards her.

"Thank you," he said, then turned back to his stew.

She tapped her foot, deciding whether she should question him about Gandalf or not. Eventually she sat down next to him and asked.

"So... what was that about earlier?"

"What was what?"

"You know... You and Gandalf..."

"Oh... He believes that it we be a good idea to go visit the elves. He _thinks _that they can help us."

"And you disagree with him... Why?"

He looked at her to see whether she was joking or not. He raised his eyebrow in shock when he saw that she wasn't.

"Because elves cannot be trusted. They left us to die in our time of need and have offered us no help since."

"Yes but those are the elves of Mirkwood. I doubt Gandalf meant them but was more likely referring to the elves of Rivendell. Those elves are renowned for their hospitality and are far superior in intelligence than those of Mirkwood."

Fria had never been prejudice when it came to elves and would probably trust even the elves of Mirkwood but she would never tell Thorin that. Thorin had paused for a moment, processing her words.

"I do not need your advice."

"Maybe... But you will take it into consideration for you know I am right."

This received a smirk from Thorin and so she continued.

"Remember when I told you that you should smile more often. I was being sincere."

Thorin looked up at her smiling and she returned one to him. They sat for a few moments like that before suddenly they heard shouts from the forest. Both were on their feet within seconds and were down next to the farmhouse with the others. Fria grabbed her bow and quiver and had an arrow aimed at where the noises were coming from. They grew louder and into the clearing burst Fili and Kili. They ran straight to Thorin and began to splutter out a story.

"The ponies... They were taken by trolls... We sent Bilbo to get them back!" exclaimed Kili.

The groups were equipped with "weapons" (Bombur had a giant spoon and Ori had his slingshot) and they ran together, with Fili and Kili in the lead, to the clearing where they had spotted the three abominations. What they saw was one of them holding Bilbo in his hand. Thorin quickly whispered orders and Kili burst into the clearing, sword in hand, fuelled by fury.

"Drop him!" he shouted, his words full of hate and disgust.

"You what?" one of them asked, shocked to see Kili standing there, ordering them about.

"I said, drop him!" he shouted yet again, his voice still filled with rage.

The troll threw the hobbit on top of him and the entire group of dwarves moved swiftly in to attack. The company moved together and a lot of the attacks required more than one of them to work successfully. The trolls were completely taken aback and didn't have time to defend themselves. Fria ran through their legs, slicing and slashing them as she went. She reached Kili and without saying a word to each other, she raced towards him, placed her foot in his hands and he launched her over his shoulder and into the path of a troll. She reached the troll's shoulder, dug her knife into his arm and slid down opening a big gash in his upper arm. She fell away from him and fell into Thorin who was up on his feet almost instantly and helping Fria up. She expected him to be annoyed at her but instead he picked up her sword, handed it to her and was about to run back into the fight when he saw that the trolls had hold of Bilbo.

"Bilbo!" Kili shouted and attempted to run forward but Thorin put his arm in front of him to prevent him from getting killed.

"Lay down your arms or we'll rip his off!" the trolls shouted.

Everyone waited for Thorin's reaction who, after several moments, threw down his sword and the entire company followed his actions.

.o0o.

The dwarves soon found themselves either tied to a spit; slowly turning over the fire or in bags, waiting to be cooked at a later time. Fria looked at the dwarves on the spit and was thankful that she was in a bag even though her body was balanced on Thorin's right hand side, her head on his shoulder. She started to listen in to the troll's conversation but she wished that she hadn't.

"Why bother cooking 'em? Why don't we sit on 'em and squash 'em into jelly?"

"They should be sautéed and grilled with a sprinkle of sage."

Fria chuckled at the troll who pretended to know how to cook. It didn't seem appropriate but at least it calmed her down slightly.

"Ooh, that does sound nice..." another mused.

"Never mind the seasoning, we ain't got all night. Dawn ain't far away, let's get a move on! I don't fancy being turned to stone."

At this Bilbo Baggins stood up in his sack and tried to reason with them.

"Wait! You are making a terrible mistake!" he shouted.

One of the dwarves was soon speaking his mind.

"You can't reason with them! They're half-wits!" he shouted.

"Half-wits!? What does that make us?" shouted what could only be Bofur.

"I meant with the... uh..." Bilbo hesitated deciding what to say, "The seasoning."

One of the trolls, the leader, or so Fria thought, turned to Bilbo annoyed.

"What about the seasoning?"

"Well, have you smelt them?" he paused and Fria's mouth opened in protest but she was so shocked that nothing came out.

He continued.

"You're going to need something stronger than sage if you want to plate this lot up!"

At this, the dwarves shouted a long line of profanities at the hobbit. The trolls started to pay more attention.

"What do you know about cooking dwarf?" asked one sarcastically.

"Shut up! Let the uh… furglarburglarhobbit talk!" shouted another, obviously less intelligent than the previous one.

"Uh, the secret to cooking dwarf is, um..." Bilbo paused seeming hesitant.

"Is? Come on!"one of the trolls impatiently yelled.

"Is, um..." Bilbo paused yet again and he seemed to be thinking.

"Give us the secret!" the troll shouted again, pushing Bilbo for answers.

"Um, yes! The secret is to skin them first!" Bilbo said.

It was during Bilbo's procrastinating, that Fria noticed what he was trying to do. He was gaining them time. As the dwarves started to yell curses at Bilbo again she nudged Thorin and stopped him in the middle of yelling. He looked down at her and she quickly explained what Bilbo was doing.

"Tom, get me my filleting knife..." one of them gave instructions.

"What a load of rubbish! I've eaten plenty with their skins on. Scarfed 'em down with the boots and all!" Tom shouted back.

"He's right!"

And with that, the third came over to the pile of sacks and picked up Bombur and hovered him over his mouth.

"Nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf. Nice and crunchy."

And if it wasn't for Bilbo, Bombur would've been eaten there and then.

"No not that one, he's... infected! Yeah, he's got worms in his... tubes!"

He paused as the troll threw the dwarf back down on the pile in disgust. Bombur landed on top of them all and the air was knocked out of Fria's body.

"In fact, they all have them." Bilbo continued. "They're infested with parasites. Terrible business. I wouldn't risk it, I really wouldn't..."

And the protests from the dwarves began, mostly denying any parasites in their "tubes". But before they could make matters worse, Thorin sent a quick nudge into Kili's back silencing him for a moment before he realised why Thorin had stopped him. After that the dwarves began to act worse than Fria had ever seen, involving lies such as "I've got parasites as big as my arm" and "I've got the biggest parasites". "It's a good job these trolls are stupid," Fria thought to herself.

But eventually the smartest troll caught on and questioned Bilbo.

"What would you have us do then? Let 'em all go?" he asked and Bilbo didn't pick up the sarcasm in his voice.

"Well..." he began.

"You don't think I know what you're up to!" he shouted at Bilbo and he attempted to grab him but he jumped out-of-the-way and laid back down on the pile.

Fria closed her eyes and prepared for her death. When she opened her eyes she saw that the sun was just about to come up. "If only Bilbo had held them off a little longer" she thought but before she could think anything else, a grey figure hopped on top of the rock in front of them.

"The dawn will take you all!" he yelled and Fria recognised it as Gandalf. He quickly split the boulder in half and the sun shone upon the scene and the three trolls' bodies began turning a grey colour and she soon realised that they were turning to stone. They yelled and shrieked but nothing could stop the process and soon they sat there as if they had been statues all along.

.o0o.

Soon all the dwarves were sat around, removed from spit and sacks and they were all relaxing. Fria had hardly moved due to exhaustion and now she found herself leaning on Thorin's shoulder unable to sit up straight. He was sat with Gandalf having an important conversation and she felt she should move but she couldn't find the strength to. The conversation with Gandalf soon ended and Thorin was looking down at the woman resting on his shoulder.

"Are you ok?" he asked, concerned about her because of the trolls.

"I'm fine," she replied. "Just exhausted."

She sighed, stretched and within seconds she was asleep on Thorin's shoulder. He brushed the hair out of her face and, soon, Gandalf called him to go find the troll cave and he sighed, not wanting to interrupt Fria's sleep. He picked her up in his arms gently and laid her down next to Kili, ordering him to watch over her. He began to walk away but before out of sight, he turned back to check on her. "She looks so peaceful" was all he could think.


	5. That Is Not A Wolf

_**Okay, no reason for the slow update on this one despite the fact that I am extremely lazy and have only been awake for about 5 hours each day. Yet again, I apologise and hopefully I will be updating more regularly even with school starting again on Tuesday. Hope you enjoy and please leave any reviews, whether they're positive or negative :) Thanks x**_

**Chapter 5: That Is Not A Wolf...**

When Fria woke, Kili was sat next to her sharpening his sword. She had a vague memory of falling asleep on Thorin and she started to go a bright red. She figured he must have moved her and told Kili to watch over her. She sat up and looked around to find that the company was missing. Kili saw this and quickly explained to her where they had gone and that they had to wait for Fili who would return and lead them to the entrance of the cave when it was found. So Fria sat with Kili and chatted with him for a long while until Fili came and they all strolled to the troll's cave.

.o0o.

When they arrived, the rest of the company were just exiting the horrid place. An awful stench was exuding from the opening and Fria tried to avoid getting too close to it. She walked around and looked at what the group had found in the horde. There was a lot of gold and jewellery and even some weapons and armour. She shifted through the weapons to see if she could find any to add to her collection. She soon had another knife attached to her belt and was just about to start on the pile of armour when a rustling came from the trees.

The group quickly had their weapons ready and were all facing the direction of the rustling when suddenly, from the trees burst a man on a sleigh pulled by what appeared to be oversized rabbits. Even though the man seemed harmless, dressed in brown with no visible weapons, Fria kept a tight hold on the hilt of her sword. But before anyone could attack the man, Gandalf quickly greeted him.

"Radagast? Radagast the Brown?" he said questioningly, not quite sure if it truly was one of the other five wizards. "What on earth are you doing here?"

The other wizard looked terribly worried and quickly spoke to Gandalf.

"I was looking for you." he responded. "Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong!"

The wizard then stood still for a moment, looking as though he had forgotten something, which actually turned out to be the case. Gandalf questioned him and the wizard began to fuss, saying that it had been "on the tip of his tongue". The thought actually turned out to be a live stick insect which caused a lot of sighing and mutterings from the dwarves. Fria, who had been thoroughly interested in what he had to say, immediately turned away from the conversation at that point, no longer feeling any desire to find out what he had to say. It did not matter anyway as Radagast pulled Gandalf to the side to have a private discussion, meaning that all the dwarves and Bilbo began idly chatting to each other. Fria sat down in between Fili and Kili and involved herself in their conversation which ended up with the two brothers arguing therefore leading to them wrestling causing Fria to fall into fits of laughter.

Soon quite a few dwarves were chuckling and Fria was literally rolling on the floor, unable to breathe. But suddenly, the group was silenced by a loud growl and the brothers stopped their pointless fight and were soon off the floor, equipped and ready to attack.

"Was that a wolf?" asked Bilbo in response to the noise. "Are there wolves out there?"

"No, that is not wolf..." responded Bofur quickly, gripping his mattock tightly.

As though on queue, a warg appeared on the hilltop that was behind Bilbo and came pounding down the hill towards the group, leaping over Bilbo and landed surely in the centre of the group. The creature faced Fria but she was prepared and quickly slashed her sword across its face causing it to fall. Thorin quickly finished it off with his new elvish weapon. Before anyone could say anything, another was pounding towards them but was rapidly shot down by Kili and Dwalin was soon digging his war hammer into its side.

"Warg scouts!" spat Thorin. " Which means an orc pack isn't far behind!"

"Orc pack?" asked Bilbo in disbelief.

Fria soon had her bow from her back, deciding the group needed shooters rather than swordsmen in this particular situation. She was stood in front of the young brothers protectively even though she knew they did not need her, it was just force of habitat, almost a motherly instinct.

"Who did you tell of your quest beyond your kin?" shouted Gandalf at Thorin.

"No-one!"

"Who did you tell?!" he persisted.

"No-one, I swear! What in Durin's name is going on?" he asked.

"We are being hunted..." he responded.

This caused the hobbit to gasp and Fria soon realised that it should be Bilbo who she was protectively stood in front of. She grabbed Bilbo, who was stood next to her, by the wrist and gave him a reassuring nod. If she was to do anything, she would not let harm come to the hobbit.

" We need to get out of here," shouted Gloin.

"We can't!" shouted Ori, who seemed to have had that idea long ago and was stood where the ponies should have been. "The ponies are gone! They must've bolted!"

The company stood silent, not seeing a way out of the situation. Fria stared at Thorin, thinking that the leader would have a plan but he just looked back at her gravely. She nodded and gulped trying to come to terms with her impending death. She tried to see the positives; if she was to die, it would be with a group of people she truly cared for and respect. She felt the tears beginning to rise at the thought of Kili dying, of Thorin dying. The whole reason she had been allowed on the quest was because she cared so much for her kin. And now they were all about to be killed. But before the tears could flood down her cheeks, Radagast spoke up.

"I'll draw them off," he stated, and everyone turned to him, dumbfounded.

"These are Gundabad Wargs, they will outrun you!" said Gandalf, scoffing slightly at his friend's suggestion.

"These are Rhosgobel Rabbits," he said confidently. "I'd like to see them try!"

And soon the group found themselves ready to run, with Radagast on his sleigh. Fria caught his eye and smiled kindly at him. After all, the wizard that they hardly knew was about to risk his life for them and for that she was truly grateful. And then, they were running. They hesitated before running onto the vast plains before them, still hiding in the sparse trees at the edges of the forest, waiting for Radagast to get the wargs far away enough for them to have a "safe" sprint towards... Well, they hadn't quite decided where they were running yet.

When Radagast had the full attention of the wargs, who were sprinting behind him in full pursuit, the company ran. Gandalf led and his stamina shocked Fria slightly. She had seen him as an old wizard but she saw now why Thorin trusted him so. Even though he had saved her life from the trolls, she had not realised that the wizard would be skilled when it came to anything physical. She was thankful that they had him with them. He was directing the group from behind a rock to another when Thorin questioned him.

"Where are you leading us?"

Gandalf remained silent and Fria thought his silence suspicious but she was far too occupied to ask him about it.

They seemed to be running for miles. The hobbit was falling behind and Fria fell back, only to grab his hand and pull him forward. Soon, they were beneath a boulder that had a small overhang and the group rested there for a moment as some of the elders in the company (Balin in particular) were becoming tired and out of breath.

The group was just about to run again when, from above them, there came a growl. Fria was stood between Thorin and Kili. Thorin looked at the both of them, obviously ushering them to shoot the warg down and before Fria could even get an arrow positioned in her bow, Kili had jumped out from his hiding place and had fired an arrow into the shoulder-blade of the beast. Within a millisecond, Fria had also jumped out and fired an arrow into the creature's head causing it to tumble over the edge to be finished off by Dwalin and Gloin, the orc riding upon it being killed by Thorin. But the warg had let out too many yelps and the other beasts in the pack were soon heading towards the group, encircling them.

"We're surrounded!" shouted Dwalin and Fria felt like screaming at him for stating the obvious.

"Fria, Kili, shoot them down!" shouted Thorin and soon the pair were firing arrows rapidly into the bodies of orcs and wargs but there were far too many and soon the wargs began to close in, closer and closer and even though Kili and Fria were trying their best (the two were often seen as unstoppable when fighting together as they had what appeared to be a telepathic connection and they both knew how the other would react to any situation) it seemed hopeless.

"Hold your ground!" shouted Thorin, trying to reassure the group, and Fria realised why he was such a good fighter. It wasn't because he was extremely skilled or because his enemies were scared of him (both of which were, in fact, true). It was because even if it meant death, he would go into battle fully prepared and full of passion and strength, with no fear whatsoever. And even though death seemed inevitable, Fria had a new-found confidence and her fear seemed to magically vanish. Because with Thorin fighting at her side, she could honestly say she felt safe.

But some of the others in the group could not say the same and soon the realisation that Gandalf had vanished began to spread. The wizard had taken his chance and left.

But before anyone could say a bad word about Gandalf and his disappearance, he appeared from behind a rock and quickly shouted, "This way, you fools!"

The company, apart from Fria and Kili who were still shooting down any wargs that got too close, sprinted towards Gandalf into the hole hidden behind the rock. Soon Thorin was calling the pair of archers and they found themselves running as fast as possible as they knew the wargs would see the opportunity to attack as soon as the last arrow was fired from both bows.

When everyone was down the hole, they faced the entrance to the cave, weapons at the ready, expecting to be bombarded with evil monsters. Fria pulled Bilbo, who was stood in a daze, behind her protectively and she had already switched weapons from bow to sword. "Don't let the hobbit come to harm!" she repeated to herself, over and over again in her head. But before harm even got a chance to approach the hobbit, a horn sounded and the company were left stunned when nothing followed them down the hole. Suddenly, the dead body of a warg came rolling into the pit, full of arrows, not of dwarvish make but of, as Thorin clarified with disgust, elvish.

"I can't see where the tunnel leads," came Dwalin, who was already slightly ahead of the other dwarves, checking out the location in which they had found themselves. "Do we follow it or nay?"

"Follow it, of course!" shouted Bofur, who spoke everyone else's thoughts. Nothing could be worse than stood around in a cramped, dirty, dark space wondering whether your death was going to come rolling down the steep incline at any moment. The dwarves filed themselves into a single line formation and were soon heading down the thin passage-way which turned out to be a crevice, leading somewhere that no-one could tell. Expect for Gandalf, who seemed to be extremely amused with the way things had turned out.

Soon the passage opened out and they were stood on the edge of a cliff, completely shocked by the beautiful sight before them. They stared around for a while and Fria realised that she was actually holding her breath. For they saw a beautiful city, made with the finest architectural skills, interlaced with waterfalls and streams.

"The Valley Of Imaldris," spoke Gandalf, interrupting the silence that had fallen over the bewitched set of dwarves (and Bilbo). "The Last Homely House but in common tongue it is known by another name."

The dwarves, excluding Fria, soon became annoyed and angry when they realised where they were but Bilbo, in an almost dreamlike way, very quietly whispered something, only loud enough for those close to him to hear (which thankfully was Gandalf and Fria).

"Rivendell..."


	6. Butterflies

_**Before I start I just want to say that I am so sorry for not updating. I've had so much to do and I've taken every opportunity I get to write. Yet again, i'm really sorry, please forgive. Please review, whether it be positive or negative, it helps me a lot. Thanks :) x**_

**Chapter 6: Butterflies**

The dwarves were stood in a small courtyard that over-looked the valley which had many waterfalls falling into it. Bilbo and Fria were taking this opportunity to stare at the beautiful view but the others were stood around looking very suspiciously at the place. Fria sighed; obviously the other dwarves didn't want to accept any beauty that was made by the elves.

"Mithrandir."

The soft voice spoke to greet not just Gandalf but the entire company and even Bilbo and Fria pulled their eyes away from the scenery to see where the voice came from. An elf was walking down the stairs towards them.

"I must speak with Lord Elrond," said Gandalf, a sense of urgency in his voice.

"My Lord Elrond is not here," said the elf with sincere apology.

"Not here?" asked Gandalf, sounding as though, Fria thought, he knew something that the others did not. "Where is he?"

Almost on queue, an elf horn sounded and a dozen or so horses began to gallop into the courtyard, surrounding the dwarves. Most of the dwarves clung intensely to their weapons causing Fria to roll her eyes and sigh- they never were going to get over their stupid prejudices.

One of the elves dismounted his horse and greeted Gandalf.

"Lord Elrond, my friend," responded Gandalf. "Where have you been?"

"We've been hunting a pack of orcs that came up from the south. We slew a number near the Hidden Pass," he paused and assessed Gandalf's reaction. "Very strange for orcs to come close to our borders." He raised his eyebrow and continued. "Something, or someone, has drawn them near."

"Ah," said Gandalf smiling at the elf. "That may have been us."

With that Elrond turned to the group of dwarves and spoke,

"Welcome, Thorin, son of Thrain," he said, his gaze now landing on the prince.

"I do not believe we have met," said Thorin, quite rudely and Fria felt like jabbing him in the ribs for speaking so harshly.

"You have your grandfather's bearings," said the elf, unfazed by Thorin's unfriendly remark. "I knew Thror when he ruled over the mountain."

"Indeed," said Thorin and Fria could sense the sarcasm in his tone. "He made no mention of _you_?"

Fria couldn't believe him! They were strangers, not just strangers- dwarven strangers and the elf had been nothing but kind. She quickly sent a jab into his side for his insolence and he glared at her but it was better than to be embarrassed in front of an elf and not do anything. The elf glanced at her the first time and she could see the wisdom and intelligence in his face. He turned away from her and spoke something in elvish- directed at the entire group.

The dwarves being dwarves instantly got defensive and Gloin began rudely questioning Gandalf on what he had said; whether he offered them insult or not. Fria did not know what the elf had said but if she thought Thorin had been embarrassing, this was worse. Gandalf too was sighing and quickly respond, telling the dwarves that Lord Elrond was not offering them offence but instead, food.

Instantaneously, the dwarves stopped their grumbling in its tracks and began quietly muttering.

"Ah, well," said Gloin. "In that case, lead on!"

.o0o.

When the dwarves had arrived and were settled, the entire company was offered a change of clothes. Fria and Bilbo gratefully took these and Fria was led by a woman elf to a chamber where she quickly pulled of her travelling attire, took a bath and got dressed in the new elven dress that she had been given, designed for the younger of elves who had not fully grown, Fria thought as she stepped into the dress. She stood in front of the mirror quite taken aback at the sight of her in a dress. She had not been in a dress for so long and any idea of being feminine when in the wild was absurd. And even when she was back in Ered Luin, she despised being in a dress. Not only did she not like being in something so girly, men seemed to leer at her and she did not appreciate it.

But now she stared into the mirror with delight. She would never tell anyone but she felt she needed this. To feel pretty and ladylike again even if it meant wearing a dress. The dress itself was stunning. It was made with white silk and the sleeves were lace and stayed tight around her upper arm and then flowed outwards when it reached her elbow. The neckline was wide and it accentuated her shoulders perfectly. She couldn't help but stare at herself; she did look amazing. She quickly braided her hair to the side and exited her room.

An elf was waiting for her outside the room and she was led to an outside area where all the dwarves sat eating dinner. Well, eating is an exaggeration as most were complaining about the lack of meat.

But when Fria entered, they all stopped and stared at her (with the exception of Thorin, Gandalf, Elrond and Balin who were enveloped in deep conversation). Suddenly she felt extremely self-conscious and, as if they could see how uncomfortable she was, all the dwarves turned back to their plates apart from Kili who was grinning at her. He stood up and walked over to her, still grinning, took her hand and led her to the seat next to him and Gandalf, opposite Thorin.

"What's with you acting like a gentleman all of a sudden?" she asked Kili, starting off the regular banter that occurred between the pair.

"I can be nice when I want to be!" he fired back, smirking. "Plus, knowing you, without me to guide you, you'd probably would have tripped over your dress."

"Oi, I'll have you know I can act feminine when I want to! Of course, I'll never look as beautiful in a dress as you do Kili! But you do have far more experience when it comes to being pretty and girly!"

At this, the entire table burst out laughing apart from Kili who was sat staring in shock at Fria, with no idea how to respond. Fria, of course, just sat smirking at him.

"Stop your ridiculous flirting!"

The yell from Thorin silenced the group as it usually did. For the first time since she had entered, Thorin glanced at Fria but instead of looking elsewhere straight away like she expected, he just stared at her looking a little surprised. But Fria didn't pay much attention to this as anger surged through her body. It seemed that Thorin still believed her and Kili were together or, at the very least, that they admired each other. But instead of beginning an argument with him across the table, she bit her tongue and ate her food. But she swore that she could see Thorin staring at her now and again and then looking away quickly when she caught his eye.

.o0o.

When the food was finished, the dwarves remained at the table and continued conversation. Fria sat with Fili and Kili and Bilbo just chatting about nothing and suddenly the two brothers began arguing and throwing insults at each other. Fria couldn't remember what it was over but she cheered and laughed as the two squabbled.

She was still laughing when she heard her name mentioned by Elrond. She listened into the conversation wondering what it was about. She heard Balin offer praise and she smiled at the elder dwarf's kindness but the smile was swiped of her face when Thorin spoke. She didn't hear the full sentence but she made out the words arrogant, useless and should never have come.

Her head snapped around and she stared at him, seething with anger that was quickly replaced with the feeling that she was about to burst out crying. She couldn't understand why he was being so cruel. He stared back at her and Fria could see no sign of regret or guilt in his face and this just made her feel even worse. Before she began crying in front of him, she raced away from the table and searched for a secluded area of Rivendell where no-one would find her. She didn't care that all the dwarves were staring after her with concern or that Kili had broken off his argument with his brother to race after her. She just wanted to get away from Thorin.

She found a garden away from any elves and she sat on the bench in the middle and began to sob. She barely noticed when Kili sat beside her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. She cried into him for what seemed like hours, thankful to have him here. Really, he was her only true friend and she loved how he didn't even ask what was wrong, he just comforted her.

Her cries slowly faded but she didn't move away from Kili. She needed a hug. She heard Balin approaching and she reluctantly pulled herself out of the hug and wiped her face. She stared up at the old dwarf and he spoke.

"What Thorin said was wrong," he soke softly and Fria felt like bursting out crying again.

"Thorin caused this?!" Kili said, extremely annoyed with his uncle. "What did he say?!"

Balin opened his mouth but it was Fria who spoke.

"Just the usual. That I'm worthless and that I shouldn't have come," she paused and sighed. "I just thought that with everything that has happened, he would have begun to appreciate me slightly more. I see now that I was wrong."

At this Kili began storming off, away from the garden.

"Where are you going?" Fria shouted at him.

"To have words with my uncle," he snarled over his shoulder.

He was not going to let this off lightly. Thorin had upset his best friend and she wasn't exactly someone who got offended easily. He really had hurt her.

Fria sighed and looked down at her hands. She waited for Balin to speak but he just sat down next to her.

"Why does he do this?"Fria asked. "If he hates me so much, why does he not avoid me at all costs?"

The old dwarf paused and pondered on how to respond.

"I believe it is because he does not truly hate you."

Fria scoffed, amused by the dwarf. But when she looked at him, she realised he wasn't joking.

"You're kidding! Thorin _hates _me! Always has. Your deluded if you think otherwise. If he didn't hate me, he would not say all those things. Why would he?"

"I believe that Thorin cares for you," Balin paused and allowed Fria to process the information.

She sat staring at him in shock.

"But Thorin is stubborn and I think he is refusing to accept how he feels. Instead, he covers it with violent words,"he continued.

Fria couldn't speak. Balin couldn't possibly be right. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Could Thorin like her? She pushed the thought out of her head and told herself that it was ludicrous.

"Thanks for comforting me, Balin," she said, not telling the dwarf that she thought he was wrong.

Balin nodded his head at her and then stood up and walked away. Fria stayed there for a few moments, composed herself and then left the garden alone. Little did she know that Thorin had waited in the shadows and watched the conversation. He felt terrible when Kili came to him and shouted at him, telling him how Fria had reacted. Thorin truly did feel guilty. He decided that he would apologise to her in the morning.

But Fria did not know that the prince felt awful and that he would apologise so she went to bed straight away, fully believing that the prince was cold-hearted and cruel. She replayed the conversation with Balin in her head and suddenly she became aware that when Balin had suggested that Thorin cared for her, she suddenly had butterflies in her stomach.


	7. Wishing

_**Hi guys, so I have updated in a reaaaaaaaalllly long time and I mean that but I have been extremely busy with... everything. I have been on holiday twice and it seems like my entire family has just decide to visit us randomly. Not only this but my homework and schoolwork is taking over my life and I've also been in the process of choosing my options. Aside from this, I had a really hard time writing this chapter which is why it is completely a filler chapter. So sorry for taking this long and the low quality of the chapter but hopefully I will manage to start updating as previously. Thanks and don't forget to review (it helps a lot).**_

**Chapter 7: Wishing**

The next morning, Fria was awoken by Kili running in and jumping on her bed, yelling for her to wake up. When she was aware of what was happening, she hit him round the head and asked him to explain why he had woken her so early. He quickly told her that they would be leaving Rivendell that morning before anyone got the opportunity to realise that they had gone. Informing her that she had an hour before they departed, he left her room and allowed her to dress into her normal attire.

It was only then did Fria begin to remember what Thorin had said. She suddenly felt idiotic and stupid, she had completely over-reacted and acted like a toddler. It was nothing new that Thorin had said. All the insults had been used previously. Why had it affected her so badly? She considered Balin's words over and over in her head.

"_I believe Thorin cares for you."_

She shook her head sighing. The statement was, of course, ridiculous. Thorin despised her and always had. If he truly cared for her, would he not have been there when she had run off. Would he not have been a shoulder to cry on? She knew Thorin was stubborn but only 10 year-olds behaved in such a way as to disregard their feelings and instead offend the person for which they care. But Balin was never wrong. And as much as she disagreed with what he had said, she couldn't let it go and claim it preposterous because a tiny part of her wouldn't allow it. A tiny part of her wished what he had said to be true.

.o0o.

Fria reached the small courtyard and saw that the entire company was waiting for her. Bofur yelled something about her finally deciding to join them but Fria wasn't listening. Her mind was too busy contemplating everything. Even though Bofur was doing his best to lighten the mood, you could feel the animosity in the air. Her eyes fell on Thorin and, for a moment, they held each others gaze before Fria dropped her sight due to awkwardness and embarrassment. She had thought, for some reason, her and Thorin were slowly becoming less hostile towards each other and even, dare she think it, friends. Thorin shouted some orders and the entire company began to move away from Rivendell. She turned back and gazed at the beautiful place one more time. She wished they could have stayed longer and she could tell from Bilbo's expression that he had hoped the same. Sighing, she continued to walk beside Kili and Fili, taking a mental note to ask Kili what he had said to his Uncle the night before.

.o0o.

"Are you okay?"

Kili's question yanked Fria from her daydreaming. She had been in this state all day, looking in to the distance and avoiding human interaction.

"What...? Oh... yeah, I'm fine," Fria replied, mumbling slightly. Kili gave her a concerned look so she decided to smile kindly back and add, "Honestly, I'm fine."

"I was just wondering because you've been acting... weird all day. I just wanted to tell you what my uncle said last night was completely out of order. He shouldn't treat you with any less respect than the rest of-"

"Can we please not talk about this!" Fria snapped.

She instantly regretted letting her temper take over. Kili looked hurt and he had of course only been trying to help. She remembered how he had comforted her yesterday and suddenly she felt extremely guilty.

"I'm sorry, it's just... I feel like an idiot and I really don't want to talk about it..."

Kili nodded slowly before saying, " I understand."

They sat in silence for a movement before Kili made a move to walk away. Fria stopped him. She had been ignoring people all day but now she really needed a friend to talk to. Besides, this would be the perfect opportunity to ask him what he had said to Thorin.

"Wait, I want to know what you said to Thorin yesterday!" she said laughing.

Kili smiled back cheekily before saying, "That is for me to know and you to find out!"

"Oh, c'mon, just tell me!"

"Lets just say if he ever offends you again, he knows that me and Fili, whether he is our uncle or not, will kick the shit out of him!"

Fria burst out laughing and the whole company turned to face her with looks of confusion on their faces. She only noticed Thorin though. He was staring at her with what she thought was the usual look of disapproval. Little did she know, that Thorin's face was that of guilt and that it had been eating away at him all day.


	8. Dull, Dull Rain

_**Hi guys, so very quickly I just wanted to apologise for the delay on this chapter. For me, the past few months have been hectic and I just haven't found the time to sit down and write. I'm so sorry but hopefully from now on the chapters will be updated a lot more frequently because it is finally the English summer holidays and I have a lot of time on my hands. Any criticism you have is completely welcome and I yet again apologise for how late this is. Sorry. Thanks and any follows/favourites/reviews are wholly appreciated.**_

**Chapter 8: Dull, Dull Rain**

Thorin's mind was a mess. He hadn't found an appropriate time to apologise to Fria and as they progressed up into the mountains, the opportunity seemed to become less and less possible. He was, of course, leading the company and she had spent most of the time at the back of the procession of dwarves or chatting with Kili.

Thorin remembered what Kili had said to him the previous night. What with Kili threatening to hurt him if he ever offended or hurt Fria again, he saw that his nephew was slowly becoming a mature adult dwarf rather than the small, excitable child he used to be. He gave Fria that. Without her, he was positive Kili would have never grown up. She playing with him and caused much mischief but she taught him life lessons that Thorin hadn't even considered Kili would need to learn.

He shook his head. She had been the only thing on his mind for the past few days and he did not need her distracting him from the quest. He was a dwarven prince and he had to regain his kingdom. Erebor was _his_ home and _not_ Smaug's. But less then a few seconds later, his thoughts had managed to link their way back to her. Rain started to pour so he lifted his hood and kept his head down, not wasting energy on trying to change his thought's subject.

.o0o.

Rain. Dull, dull rain. For the past 4 or so hours, Fria had heard nothing put the pattering of the drops on the hard, stone ground. She was soaked to the skin and really wished that the rest of the company could have put their prejudices behind them just so they could have stayed in Rivendell a little longer. There was no song or laughter and even Bofur hadn't bothered to make a sarcastic or cheery comment. She was used to silence and solitude but this was different. There was something eerie about these mountains and she didn't enjoy the uneasiness in her stomach. She looked at the ground beneath her feet and tried to push the thoughts out of her mind.

Soon, they came to a narrow edge that only allowed the dwarves to walk single file so she was filtered between Kili and Bifur and she continued to plod on. To one side, there was a huge rock face that seemed to go on miles upwards above her until the mist swallowed it up before she could see the top. To her other side, there was quite the opposite. A steep drop that lead into a valley you couldn't see the bottom of because the darkness was too thick. She clung to the wall and hoped to Eru that she wouldn't fall. The slimy surface of the rock was hard to hold on to and now and then she wondered how she had managed to stay on the path.

"Hold on!" she heard Thorin shout from ahead.

Just as his voice filled the air, Fria noticed the giant boulder flying from across the valley towards the group. It hit the rock surface above and shattered as though made of glass and the shards rained down on top of the company.

"This is no thunder storm," spoke Balin. "This is a thunder battle!"

Fria looked up and contemplated Balin's words, not understanding the meaning. Then she saw it.

"Well bless me. The legends are true," began Bofur. "Giants. Stone giants."

Across the valley, the stone mountains were breaking off into sections, the cracking and splitting echoing through the dark. The sections formed statuesque figures, tall, humongous in fact, like mountains that were enveloped in magic, enabling them to move. Several of these terrifying giants begun fighting, throwing boulders the size of buildings at each other. The company begin to hastily move along the ledge, hoping to find some shelter from the raging war.

Suddenly, the ledge they were on started cracking and moving. The company clung to the rock wall desperately as they separated from the mountain. A crack appeared down the middle of the group and the ground between Fili and Kili broke apart. Fili leapt to grab Kili but Fria held him back. The one thing they didn't need right now was someone falling into the deep abyss below.

"KILI!" Fili shouted as the legs of the giant separated so that the other half of the company (Kili, Bilbo, Bofur, Dwalin, Nori and Ori) were pulled away. The giant began walking and with each booming step, the company were at high risk of falling from the ledge. But they had to continue moving otherwise death would be a certainty so when the giant's leg came into contact with a ledge the group made a mad dash onto it, fearing for their lives.

From across the valley, Fria could see the other part of the group transferring rapidly between ledges and legs and finally onto a leg opposite from her and the rest of the company, who had found some level of safety. Suddenly, the giant that the other group were currently residing on was hit in the face by a boulder. The giant's head fell from his body and went shattering down into the dark.

But then the body of the giant began falling. Falling backwards into the cliff surface. The other group were facing the wall and went crashing into it, mostly likely being crushed in the process. Her face dropped in despair and she heard Thorin yell "NOOO". If what she thought was true, he had just lost some of his oldest friends and his nephew.

The company raced over to where the giant's leg had gone crashing into the rock surface. There they found the company and, apart from a few cuts and scratches, completely unharmed. Fria let go of her breath, not realising she had been holding it. She ran over to Kili and grinned when he turned over onto his back complaining about his arm. She was just thankful he was alive.

"Bilbo?" she heard Bofur question and she spun around to look for the hobbit, but her eyes did not find one. "Where is Bilbo?"

The company looked around searching for the small companion and only when Kili shouted "THERE" did they notice the small hands gripping to the ledge for dear life.

The company rushed over to grab his hands and pull him up but his hands slipped and he fell down the mountain slightly, only just managing to grab hold of a further down ledge that was very luckily protruding from the rock surface. The group reached down to grab him but he was too far away and one of his hands had already slipped.

Without warning, Thorin threw himself over the side of the cliff and, holding his own weight from the ledge, pulled the small hobbit up by the scruff of his neck so that the company could grab him and pull him up themselves. Fria and Dwalin hurried to Thorin to pull the dwarven prince up. He scrambled up and looked at Fria questioningly and Fria remembered in that moment that she hated him for his actions the day before and quickly stepped away, looking down at the ground, avoiding eye contact.

"I thought we'd lost our burglar," said Dwalin panting.

"He's been lost ever since he left home," said Thorin. "He should never of come. He has no place amongst us."

As Thorin spoke, Fria no longer had to remember her disdain and she gave him a disgusted look before looking at Bilbo, who appeared more forlorn than ever before.

"Come on," Thorin shouted and led the group into a cave that had been so well hidden, Fria hadn't even been aware of its existence, even though she had been standing in front of it for the last five minutes.

.o0o.

As they entered the cave, Fria became thankful for the shelter. In the past few minutes, everything had been so hectic that she had forgotten about her damp, uncomfortable clothing.

"Looks safe enough," she heard Dwalin say.

"Search to the back. Caves in the mountains are seldom unoccupied," Thorin warned.

Fria wandered to the back, knowing all too well about not checking caves properly. She had learnt of the hazards long ago from previous mistakes. The cave wasn't very large and she reached the back without finding anything suspicious.

"There's nothing here," she shouted as she returned to the group.

"Right then, let's get a fire started," she heard Gloin speak.

"No. No fires, not in this place. Get some sleep. We start at first light." Thorin ordered.

Fria began to lay on the ground as Thorin ordered Bofur to take first watch. She listened to the continuing storm outside as her clothing became even more uncomfortable. She turned over and closed her eyes, wishing herself to sleep before giving up and accepting the fact that that night was going to be a very long night indeed.


End file.
